Beyond the Indigo Veil: Part I of the Wallmaker Saga
Chapter 6: Lord of Ice
After the Wizard Agyrus' arrival, it took some time to get the castle settled back down again. Granny Witch refused to go back to bed, peering fretfully from behind her curtain at the two wizards who gazed at one another impassively over the kitchen table. Heen was hiding under her bed, wheezing a gurgled growl from time to time. Thankfully Markl had not woken; Sophie did not want to expose the warm little boy to the icy man that had intruded into their home.
Calcifer had obliged to boil some water, making very loud and nasty comments about their visitor. Sophie had wordlessly served the two of them tea. The fire daemon spent the rest of the icy wizard's visit crackling loudly and blowing huge plums of black smoke up the chimney. Every so often the silver-haired witch caught sight of the spark making faces at Howl's uncle. Unfortunately, his antics did nothing to cheer the mood.
"You keep odd company, nephew." Agyrus finally spoke, his deep voice resonating like a brass bell. Obviously he disapproved, his voice made that plain in spite of his frozen face.
"I am proud of my family," Howl replied evenly, his handsome face an emotionless mask.
"Yes," Agyrus replied, but his eyes wandered over Sophie. The silver-haired woman felt pinned in place by the intensity of his stare. She felt exposed before him, like the north wind was blowing through the window of her soul.
"I will thank you not to harass my wife," Howl's voice took on an edge of anger; he unfolded his arms and placed a hand on her own.
"I am merely curious, Howl. Her circumstances are… unique."
Agyrus spoke through her, as though she were some interesting trinket he had found in a shop. Sophie felt an immediate surge of sympathy for the childhood Howl had endured with this chunk of ice as his only family. She saw him note the sapphires jewels at her ears and his gazed lingered a long time on the pendant around her neck.
"Her name is Sophie Hatter, uncle. It would please me greatly if you would be considerate to my wife while you are in our home," Howl's words were gracious but his tone was not.
"Yes. Your castle. Is that not what you call it? How quaint."
Agyrus turned his stony gaze to take in the kitchen. Sophie would not have been surprised if the ceiling and the rest of the room had frosted over under his gaze
"What do you want, Uncle?"
"I came to see for myself how far my brother's son had fallen from his destined path. I find he has fallen far, pretending to be what he is not by living a common life."
"Uncle, if you are not going to be civil I will have to ask you to leave," Howl's tone became darker.
The shadows in the kitchen deepened but Agyrus was not impressed. Instead he turned his gaze back to Sophie, who met his eyes without flinching this time, in spite of the color that climbed into her cheeks. She looked back hard, trying to see past the ice and catch sight of the man. She received a startling flash of the scorched plain. Quickly, Agyrus' gaze moved back to Howl as the younger wizard shifted angrily.
"You brought this visit on yourself by not attending to my summons. Suliman was always lenient with you. I, however, shall not be so indulgent."
"I will thank you to leave Suliman out of this, Uncle. It is unbefitting of you to speak ill of the dead. However, I dare say your presence was not missed at her funeral," Howl's eyes flashed dangerously.
"Don't be pert with me, boy. You will be held accountable for your responsibilities. You will lend your support to the Reckoning. I have returned to see to that," Agyrus' voice echoed strongly, punctuating each point sonorously.
"And if I refuse?"
"I will come to collect you myself. I warn you not to let it come to that. Good evening, nephew."
With that the elder wizard stood quickly, wrapping himself in his cloak of sky. His formed dissolved into shadow and wind as the front door burst open. The great shape flew backwards out into the night, slamming the door closed after him.
"Oh, what a sad, sad man," Granny witch murmured and let her curtain fall back.
For a long while there was only the gentle sound of Calcifer's fire. The little daemon gave a great snort of black smoke and hunkered down into the ashes.
"I can't BELIEVE you wanted him to come to the wedding, Howl," Cal snapped and crackled crankily, "What a grump!"
Howl let out a long gusty breath and leaned forward, hiding his face in his hands. The shadows in the kitchen lifted, and the gentle starlight outside ushered in the feeling of home that had fled a minute before.
"I was hoping he had changed," Howl murmured, "I was fool to think so. I'm sorry if he scared you, Sophie. He's really not a bad person."
"That man is your uncle?" Sophie still could not see how that pillar of ice was in anyway related to Howl. She placed a consoling hand on his shoulder and pushed his tea a little closer to him encouragingly.
"He is only blood kin I have left. But don't think too harshly of him, dear one," Howl murmured between sips of his tea, "Like greed consumed the witch of the wastes, uncle Agyrus let himself be consumed by his sorrow. I did so want to spare you from this, Sophie," he said plainly, leaning forward again to place his face in one of his hands.
"Please, Howl, don't keep things from me. Won't you please tell me what is going on?"
Sophie took in the tired expression on her husband's face with worry.
"Whatever the trouble is I know I can help you. We need to work together, but I can't do that if you keep me in the dark. I know you want to protect me, but we need to work together, as a family," Sophie replied firmly, but lovingly.
Her earnest eyes managed to catch his as he glanced sideways at her. He seemed afraid for a moment, but that passed quickly as his look melted into love. Reaching out he gathered her to him, tucking her head under his chin. Pressing her ear against his chest to listen to the quick beats of his heart.
"How did I manage to marry such a wonderful witch?" He murmured as he stroked her hair.
"I'm a blessing and a curse. Don't change the subject," she listened to him chuckle, not releasing him from her arms.
"Calcifer, do you remember what our original bargain was?"
The little spark flew over and settled on a special trivet they kept on the table just for him. Looking up at Howl, the fire daemon blinked solemn eyes.
"Yup. I fell from the sky as a star, but I didn't want to die. You gave me your heart so I could live in exchange for my promise that I would stay with you always. We were both pretty lonely back then."
The little spark blew a ring of smoke then looked up at them shyly, turning a rosy pink, "As much as I complain I still think it was the best deal I ever made."
"Thank you, Cal. We're glad you're still with us."
Howl smiled kindly at the flame, which looked away bashfully. Settling back into his chair, the raven-haired wizard began an unexpected tale.
"Both of my parents' died a long time ago in a great battle between opposing sides of sorcerers called the Mage War. I have heard the story told so many times so many ways I'm not sure who was right and who was wrong. All I know is it was a pointless war, like all wars are. But it was made all the more hideous because of the magic used to fight it.
"Unfortunately magic is a fickle thing, prone to the whims of those who wield it. All the hate and all the suffering of the Mage War made the magic of the otherworld begin to turn against the mortal world. You've seen the aftermath of that magic gone wrong on the scorched plain in the otherworld.
"Remember what Suliman said? Sometimes the best of intentions can cause the worst tragedies.
"Uncle played a large part in bringing about the end of the Mage War. He somehow managed to show both sides that their conflict was going beyond the mortal world and was destroying the otherland as well. He convinced them that if they did not stop, the darkness would seep through and consume everything.
"The otherworld is a sacred place to sorcerers. I think the fact that their battle had reached beyond the indigo veil shook he Mages to their bones. The remaining witches and wizards banded together and built the Dull Wall, which holds back the Dark. It was a difficult achievement and many lost their lives in its making, my parents included. However, the Dull Wall is mortal magic and erodes quickly under the winds of the otherworld.
"The survivors of the Mage War knew this, so they formed a council that would meet whenever the wall thins and the Dark begins to seep through. These meetings are called The Reckoning. It is the responsibility of the council to deal with the Wall in order to ensure that balance is preserved.
Howl paused here to take a sip of tea and seeing that he held the rapt attention of his audience he continued.
"Before I met Calcifer I was a very lonely child. Going home to my uncle made things worse because he always ignored me. Probably because I remind him too much of my dead parents. Back then he was not so unfeeling to ignore that his absence hurt me just as much as his presence; hence he gave me the cottage above Star Lake.
"I was far enough into my apprenticeship at that time that I could care of myself. Suliman knew my parents very well, and I think it was out of respect for their memory that she let me get away with more than I should have.
"I do know that I greatly disappointed both her and my uncle when I made my bargain with Calcifer and ran away from the royal academy. Once they discovered my curse, they had to put aside their hopes that I would join the Council. To them I had become the very thing they worked to prevent.
"However, I never had any intentions of joining with them. The Wizards on the council have become self important, loosing sight of the real reasons for their vigilance. It's rather ironic. They have fallen prey to their own personal daemons and are blind to that fact.
"Dear Suliman's daemon was pride. She was convinced that she had the answer to everything and that it was within her power to fix things. Agyrus' daemon is sorrow. He has lost so much that he decided to save himself from pain by ceasing to feel at all.
"I think that my curse was self inflicted as well. It had nothing to do with the fact that I gave away my heart to save the life of a falling star. I fell before my own daemon: fear.
"I feared that I would never be loved, so I gave my heart away thinking I would have no use for it. My sorrow slowly consumed me, turning me into the monster I felt I was inside. And yet I discovered that I still desired to be loved, even with an empty chest. So I filled that hole with the pursuit of empty pleasures.
"Until I met you Sophie," Howl gave his wife another squeeze and kissed the top of her head, "Before you I don't think I've ever truly loved or been loved."
He paused, staring at the front door as though divining some distant secret.
"I don't begrudge my Uncle or the Wizard's Council their personal failings. Of all people I have no right to that. But I cannot abide by the way they meddle in the lives of others and I simply refuse to let people tell me how to live my life.
"Despite all that has happened, they think they know what is best for everyone. They think that magic is the solution to everything. They think that they are infallible. But the fact that Suliman stood by and permitted another War to be fought with magic is proof that they are wrong."
Calcifer crackled in the silence that followed and the little fire daemon regarded Howl with a strange look.
"I've never heard you tell that story before, Howl."
"I don't like to dwell on unpleasant things, especially the past," the wizard replied loftily, "It's distracting and it makes me moody."
Howl's story had plunged Sophie deep into thought. It had brought about several revelations, both about the scorched plain and her husband's past. True to his way, he had managed to give her answers without responding to any of her questions. But Sophie didn't want to think about that anymore. All that matter was being with her family. She vowed that not even Wizard Agyrus, the great Wall Maker of the Mage War, could come between them.
"Sophie?" Howl murmured after a moment, looking down to find Sophie had fallen fast asleep in his arms.
"I think she's asleep, Howl," Calcifer crackled.
"Indeed. Good night, Calcifer," Howl smiled at the small spark as he tenderly gathered his sleeping wife into his arms and carried her off to their room.
xXx
"Howl?" Sophie murmured sleepily, reaching for her husband in a half waking state. Her hand found a face, which smiled beneath her palm. The face began to kiss her fingers as she peeked an eye open. Merry blue eyes sparkled at her from between her fingers. Rolling over, Howl tucked her head under his chin and yawned.
"Morning," He mumbled into her head.
"Do we have to get up?" Sophie asked softly and Howl laughed. Normally it was the other way around.
"Not if you don't want to."
Sophie was quiet for a moment, listening to the various chimes and bell tones of the many somethings in the room. Great eyes battered their lids lazily, to ward of bad spirits Howl had once told her. Lifting her hand she batted at one of the mushrooms that dangled from a bunch of dried roses.
"What are we going to do, Howl?" She asked finally.
The raven-haired wizard grabbed her to him as she tried to sit up.
"None of that this morning," he mumbled into her hair, which elicited a giggle from her because it tickled horribly, "I demand that we simply lay here and pretend like its still night and sleep all day long."
"As you wish," Sophie finally gave up squirming and let herself be held. But even as she in his arms she could hear the wheels turning in her husband's head. But she did not press the matter; Sophie knew better than that.
xXx
After a late breakfast Howl asked Calcifer to land the castle.
"What's the good of sticking wings on a flying castle if you're going to have it muddy about on the ground with skinny legs?"
Calcifer crackled irritably, puffing smoky rings, but acquiescing to Howl's request none the less. The fire daemon made use of the castle's legs and sent them bumbling into the mists of the wastes.
"Come give me a hand, Markl," Howl called cheerfully as he handed his apprentice three pieces of colored chalk.
"What are we doing, Master Howl?" Markl asked curiously, putting aside the great book he had been reading.
"It's been a long time since we renewed some of the wards on the castle. Even magic needs a spring cleaning," he replied sagely.
As the wizard and his apprentice proceeded to cover every inch of the castle in chalky markings, Sophie retreated trying not to mutter about the fact that she had just mopped. The silver-haired witch did not know what the markings meant but the visceral feeling she experienced while looking belied their protective nature.
As Sophie brought the laundry out onto the deck to string up in the wind, she watched the green steppes whisk by while pinning up their clothes. As she clipped the last sock from her basket, the castle gave a rollicking bump, a contralto hiss, and clattering sigh and she noticed they had come to rest by Star Lake. She paused staring out over the glassy surface through the thick mists drifted by in shifting veils.
Her witchy sense of intuition told her that Howl had brought them here because of the mists; they would conceal them as well as any spell. The Wastes were enchanted place, heavily steeped with magic. Seeking spells did not work very well out here among all the echoes of magic that had been and would be again.
As she picked up her basket, she caught sight of Howl and Markl on the grass below as the fog shifted by again. They were drawing a magic circle on the ground with the chalk bucket. Rather, Markl was drawing the circle under Howl's supervision. She noted again how big the sandy haired apprentice was getting. His clothes were beginning to show a great deal of wrist and ankle.
Whatever they were doing was beyond her, she had no idea what the circle was for. But Calcifer would.
Coming down stairs, Sophie selected one of the shirts Howl wore the least from the cavernous closet in their bedroom. The thick cotton would be well suited to a garment for the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. But she would have to make Markl another outfit out of something thicker for winter. Going into her room she snagged her sewing basket from the shelf and paused as she caught sight of Suliman's staff.
They almost always slept in Howl's room, mostly because he had a bigger bed. Sophie also believed it was because Howl didn't like being in the same room with his former master's stick. Suliman had passed into the otherworld more than two months ago, but Howl still mourned her.
Glancing up at the silver box that stood above it on a special shelf, she frowned as she found the lid was open. Reaching up, Sophie flicked it shut and locked the box reverently hoping Granny Witch hadn't been pocking around in it.
Sophie carried the shirt and sewing basket downstairs to the terrace, trying to ignore the multicolored smudges on the walls and floor. She looked to where the former witch of the wastes sat in her rocking chair, petting a gloomy Heen. The little dog hadn't been the same since the funeral, but Granny seemed to console him.
"Nice doggy," She murmured happily and Heen wheezed softly.
Sophie settled into the thickly cushioned couch in front of the brazier Howl had set into the center of the veranda. The little spark was pretending to be asleep, but the she could always tell from his color what he was up to.
"What are the boys doing, Calcifer?"
"What makes you think their up to something, Sophie?" Cal crackled innocently.
"He asked you not to tell me, didn't he?"
"I'm not a liberty to say," he replied loftily, giving a great poof of smoke as Sophie chucked another log onto him. She turned her attention to ripping the seams out of the shirt and tried not to wince as the front door burst open, heralding the entrance of muddy feet.
"You really think it will work, master Howl?" Markl's voice was full of excitement. The little boy nearly ran circles around the tall wizard, who laughed merrily, dusting the white chalk off of his black pants.
"Of course it will work, Markl! You helped draw the circle yourself," Howl replied confidently.
"Wipe your feet!" Sophie called menacingly and the two of them made a great deal of noise stomping and rubbing their shoes on the mat to please her. Markl wandered over in her direction and watched her draw and quarter the shirt while Howl dug around in the cabinets for some odd bit.
"What are you doing, Sophie?" Markl asked inquisitively, peering over the arm of the couch as she tore at the seams.
"Mmmm… I could ask the same of you two. Come here and hold still."
Markl obediently stood before her, letting her take his measurements with a piece of knotted string. He began to fidget and she ruffled his hair.
"All, done."
But Markl lingered as he watched her carefully measure the fabric and make little notations on a piece of paper.
"Why don't you use magic to do that, Sophie?"
"Because I don't need to. Just because I can use magic to do something doesn't mean that I should use magic to get it done."
"But won't it take you a long time?"
"You need some new clothes. Besides, I like making things using my own two hands."
Markl seriously consider her words for a moment with a confused face, "You're a funny witch, Sophie. You know that?"
"Come'er, you," she grinned swiping Markl to her and ticking him mercilessly. The not so little apprentice shrieked and giggled, easily wriggling away.
"That'll teach you to call me funny!" She called after him and caught Howl watching her with a gentle look in his eyes.
Apparently he had been listening in on their conversation. Sophie colored, realizing she hadn't asked if she could use the gutted shirt that lay in her lap. Apparently he didn't mind. Howl still loved to gussy himself up when they went out, but the raven-haired man had lost much of his need for vanity. However, he did love to stink up the house with various fragrances, mostly hyacinth and roses.
The wizard turned his eyes back to the vial of silver liquid in his hand, which caught both Markl and Calcifer's attention.
"Wow, Master Howl! Is that really Amaranth tears? Can I see it?" Howl handed the vial to his student, who carefully examined the small bottle. The slippery silver substance whirled within the glass tube, shifting among the many colors of the rainbow.
"That's some mighty powerful stuff, Howl. I hope you don't expect me to eat that?"
"No, Calficer, it's not for you. It's a component for the invisibility spell Markl and I are working on. We were working with rocks and trees, but the little scamp upped the ante. He asked me if we could turn the whole castle invisible and I couldn't pass by the opportunity."
Sophie knew there was more to the story than that, but she didn't begrudge Howl his secrecy. Markl didn't need to be burdened by fear at such a young age.
"Move the castle three steps to the north, would you Cal?" Howl called as he stooped and began scratching a magic circle onto the kitchen floor."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" The fire daemon grumbled from the hearth and there was a moment of jostling, then the familiar hissing and creaking that signaled they had settled onto the mark.
"Oh, what a pretty fire," Granny Witch smiled at Calficer, who blushed rosily and looked away.
Sophie put down her work and watched her husband step into the center of the magic circle. Sensing that he had an audience, Howl made a gracefully flourishing motion with his hand. A fey grin crossed his face as he uncorked the vial and let a single drop fall onto the chalk patterns below. The floor shimmered for a moment and the markings glowed silver, casting a flood of light upward onto Howl. The familiar smell of roses and hyacinth filled the room as the otherwind whipped upwards out of the light, lifting the wizard into the air. Beneath him the floor seemed to dissolve, showing through to the ground below.
Whipping his other hand out to the side, Howl snapped his fingers and swept his palm skyward. The emptiness below him pulsed outward and up the walls like a ripple from a stone dropped into still water. There was a disorienting moment where Sophie could see through the band of magic to the world outside as it raced up the walls, disappearing the roof. For a moment she was staring at the misty grey sky, small breaks allowing sun to filter through. Then the magic was gone and the roof had returned.
"Oh, what a handsome man!" Granny witch gushed.
"Show off!" Calcifer smoked moodily, rolling over into the ashes.
Wind gone, chalk erased, Howl's feel touched back to the ground and he corked the vial. Markl made a frogfish face and looked down at himself and peered hard at Sophie over his shoulder.
"But I'm still here, Master Howl. I can still see all of us!" Markl frowned in confusion.
"That's because the spell only works from the outside. Come on out and take a look for yourself."
Howl winked at his apprentice and turned on his heel, nearly flying out the front door in such a good mood.
"Come on, Sophie!" Markl grabbed a hold of her and dragged her off the couch and down the steps with him.
Outside the mists were thick and wet. Sophie could barely see the thin outline of Howl in the distance. Markl pulled her down the hill to the edge of the water, and the two of them burst from the mist into clear air. Howl stood on the shore with the sinking sun behind him with one hand on his hip; looking for all the world as though he had posed himself.
"Well?" He grinned, blue eyes flashing merrily, "What do you think?"
Sophie and Markl turned to look back the way they came, but they could only see the mists.
"I can't see the castle because of all the clouds, Howl!"
"Well, let's fix that!" He grinned and clapped his hands. The emerald jewels he wore flashed for a moment, then as he drew his hands apart the clouds split before them revealing: nothing!
"Wow! That's amazing, Master Howl!"
Markl crowed with excitement, jumping up and down and turning in circles. Howl preened for a moment happily and Sophie had to laugh too, clapping in spite of herself. He never ceased to astound her when it came to magic. But as she smiled at him, she had mixed feeling.
He had managed to protect them again both from the world and from the truth by making their trouble into a game. Some would call such behavior childish, but she didn't care. She accepted Howl for who he was, and loved him unconditionally none the less.
"Hey, Master Howl… What's that?" Markl called. Peering into the distance on the edge of the water, the ginger haired apprentice pointed at a shape in the sky far on the horizon.
Turning, Sophie peered into the light of the sun, which obscured the figure in the sky. It appeared to be heading towards them. Howl shielded his eyes with his hand and stared hard into the distance. Suddenly, the figure swooped high and emerged from the glare of the setting sun, resolving into several distinct shapes. A great red bird wheeled and thrashed in the air, harried and attacked by several dark shades that ripped at its feathers and slashed at its breast.
"Sophie, take Markl inside," Howl's face was serious; a frown pulled at his lips.
"What is it, Master Howl? Is that a bird?" Markl moved over to his master squinting at the swooping and diving figure.
"Now!" Howl commanded brusquely.
Sophie whisked the boy up into her arms and dashed back into the mists, which had sunk back into place.
"What's going on Sophie?" Markl asked anxiously a she set him down on the front step of the castle.
"It's alright, Markl. Go inside and don't come out no matter what, okay?"
"Okay," the little boy replied hesitantly, clutching handfuls of her skirt. It reminded her of the same movements Howl had made when she returned from the otherworld after smashing the cursed mirror. She seized him in a rough embrace and kissed him on the head.
"Don't worry, Markl. Howl and I will be right back."
Setting him down, she opened the door and pushed him through.
"What's happening, Sophie?" Calcifer called anxiously.
"Stay inside, Cal! Make sure no one comes in unless we say so!" Sophie called, and then pulled the door shut.
Charging through the mists she burst out onto the shore, discovering the fight had come closer still. The familiar red bird was screeching in pain as the shades clawed at its wings.
Barimus! She saw him clearly in her othersight. The red wizard tucked his wings and plummeted towards the surface of the lake pursued closely. At the last minute he snapped his wings open and pulled up.
As the crimson bird wheeled towards the sky, a great liquid hand shot from the water and closed around one of the dark figures. It dissolved into vapor, taking the shade with it. Sophie caught sight of Howl suspended above the water's at a distance with his hand held out at his side. She could see a piece of the banishing mirror between his fingers; it seemed to absorb the vanishing light of the sun like a cold point of doom.
The shard split into three pieces as he cast it with inhuman strength towards the threads of Dark that pursued Barimus. The glinting splinters pierced the shadows with deadly accuracy and they faded into nothing. The red bird began to loose speed as it reached the apex of its upward flight, shedding feathers along the way. It hovered for a moment then plummeted towards the lake, loosing its bird shape as it fell.
Sophie screamed and reached with her hands as though she could stop the wizard's fall, but he slipped through the fingers of her magic and crashed into the lake.